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FARM NEWS
A Messenger Publication Serving Farmers in Northwest and North Central Iowa Vol. 30, No. 21
Friday, Feb. 13, 2025
2 sections, 18 pages
Webster County farmers receive state honor Gregg and Liddy Hora receive Wergin award By BILL SHEA Farm News writer
-Submitted photo courtesy of Texas Agri Life
BILL COSTANZO, Extension program specialist III, cares for and manages more than 20 livestock guardian dogs at San Angelo and its research ranches.
Livestock guardian dogs can be a valuable asset on the farm, protecting livestock and reducing predation
By ELIZABETH ADAMS Farm News writer
W
hen living on a farm, predators can come in all shapes and sizes. From coyotes, birds of prey, racoons, opossums, mink, and other domesticated animals, predators in Iowa make it their business to locate where their next available meal might come from. According to the most current USDA data, depredation cost U.S. sheep producers $121.6 million in 2019 alone. Whether small livestock are kept in an enclosure or free-range, they are at risk. Producers can protect valuable livestock and minimize predation by adding a livestock guardian dog (LGD) to their operation. Bill Costanzo is an LGD program specialist and part of a joint project between the Texas Sheep Goat Predator Management Board and Texas A&M University AgriLife Center — San Angelo. He cares for and manages
over 20 livestock guardian dogs at San Angelo and its research ranches. Costanzo’s work and expertise reaches far beyond where he lives and works; he has advice for producers looking to add a livestock guardian dog to an operation in any geographical location. It comes as no surprise that the Texan landscape and variety of predators are different compared to Iowa. “It’s like that saying, ‘Everything is bigger in Texas,’” said Costanzo. Texas has two distinct weather patterns that cause the western half to be dryer than the eastern half. Grazing quality can be poor, so producers use rotational grazing on large tracts of land to sustain livestock. There is also dense brush for predators to hide in, which challenges the control of coyotes and feral hogs. Utilizing livestock guardian dogs is crucial to livestock operations that can span from 250 acres to 2,500 acres or more. See DOGS, Page 2A
Naig excited about Career Academy Iowa Secretary of Ag tours Webster City facility with local officials
See HORA, Page 2A
EPA: Clean Air Act supports right to repair Agency: Emissions rules don’t keep farmers from repairing equipment
By KOLLEEN TAYLOR Farm News writer
WEBSTER CITY — Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig’s stop in Webster City in January to view the Career Ag Academy was like a visit with old friends and family. Because it was. Naig grew up on a family farm in northwest Iowa near Cylinder. He was obviously at ease touring the building and greeting the assembled farmers, educators and leaders who were involved with the newest addition to the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. His enthusiasm radiated from him as he greeted the small group who was there to explain the project, and smiles abounded as he congratulated the team who made the ag education center a reality. “I learned about this project before,” Naig said. “Now I get to be here.” As he greeted Matt Berninghaus, Webster City superintendent of schools, it was a greeting between friends. “Of course you’d be here,” he grinned. Naig and Berninghaus grew
A Webster County couple that has raised pigs, corn and soybeans for 40 years has received a top state award for Iowa livestock farmers who demonstrate outstanding animal care, environmental stewardship and a strong commitment to their community. Gregg and Liddy Hora were presented the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award recently at the Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines. “We’re pretty humbled,” Gregg Hora said. “There are a lot of farm families that do what we do and that’s why this is so humbling,” he added. He thanked the part-time workers on the family farm and the members of the Webster County Pork Producer whose support, he said, is essential. Gregg Hora said he and his wife did not know they had been nominated for the award. He said they were told in early December that they were going to receive it. “It was a big surprise to Liddy and I,” he said. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig was on hand to honor the Horas. “Gregg and Liddy take pride in helping people better understand that agriculture is about real people doing real work,” Naig said in a written statement. “By engaging with their neighbors, local businesses and their community, they help build trust and strengthen connections. Their commitment to advocacy, along with their focus on animal care, stewardship and community involvement, reflects
By CAMI KOONS Iowa Capital Dispatch
up in adjoining towns, and competed against each other during school events. But they are close for another reason; they are cousins. Of course, Naig knew about Webster City and this project. The first talks about the See NAIG, Page 10A
-Farm News photo by Kolleen Taylor
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE MIKE NAIG, second from left, listens during a tour of the Career Ag Academy in January. Joining him on the tour are, left to right: Webster City Community Schools Superintendent Matt Berninghaus, Naig, Board President of the Career Ag Academy Gene Gourley, Webster City Mayor John Hawkins, FFA Advisor and High School ag instructor Kurt Veldhuizen, student Emma Lorraine and Associate HIgh School Principal Ayn Eklund.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a clarification letter Feb. 2 to manufacturers saying that the Clean Air Act does not prohibit independent repairs to offroad diesel equipment such as farm machinery. A news release from EPA said manufacturers “can no longer” use the act to “justify limiting access to repair tools or software.” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in the release that the agency is “proud to set the record straight and protect farmers.” “For far too long, manufacturers have wrongly used the Clean Air Act to monopolize the repair markets, hurting our farmers,” Zeldin said. The letter from EPA explains that while the Clean Air Act prohibits the removal or disabling of emission control systems, the law has a written exception that the systems See REPAIR, Page 2A